As mentioned in our February eNews, I’ve been on a quest to find out what George Washington ate on his visit to Salem in 1789.   Along with research and assistance by the Salem Public Library, Mount Vernon and the Library of Congress, I also had the good fortune to find myself at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island and visited their wonderful library. Thank you to the staff  for their terrific assistance with not only this aspect of my research, but also help with research relating to early American cookery.  More on that in my upcoming newsletters.Shown here: the original invitation sent to Washington.My visit to J&W also included a stop at their Culinary Museum. If you haven’t been, definitely recommend on your next pass through Providence.  On display during my visit were some of the menus a few of our President’s enjoyed. Thought it would be fun to share on this President’s Day.  Shown here: A Bill of Fare for Lincoln’s Presidential Ball. 

A dinner for Theodore Roosevelt. A lunch for John F Kennedy (and a rum chiffon recipe found here.)  I also discovered some fascinating photos found inside the White House kitchen.  Finally, Click here to read a brief article on some of the first presidential chefs, and click here to read about some favorite foods of past presidents.  

Did you know? 

Salem has hosted several Presidential visits. Please click here to read a wonderful article by Jerome Curley recently published on Salem’s Patch website. 

Food Tours

Our February Tours were absolutely delicious – we are looking forward to our March Tours which are already filling up. To find out about upcoming available dates and to make a reservation, click here.